To Be Free
by Lu Su
Summary: I followed the smell farther into the woods - but the whole woods seemed to be moving. My eyes swam. The trees, they were more human-like than ever... no. They were humans! And this was stone, not grass... Could I have stumbled upon the world of the Four?
1. An Unexpected Friend

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Narnia or any of the characters - all I own is Toby here.  
Hope you enjoy!

A quick note, as I read through I realized that this chapter is rather boring save the end, and I assure you the following chapters (to me, at least) are better. Just bear with me, and if you have _any_ suggestions at all please let me know. Thanks!

* * *

The search party had stopped for a quick break. I walked a ways into the woods to find a stream, for I was thirsty. But before I went far, I came upon a familiar smell... and soon found a scrap of cloth, and part of a feather from an arrow. I followed the smell farther into the woods - but the whole woods seemed to be moving. My eyes swam. The trees, they were more human-like than ever... no. They were humans! And this was stone, not grass... noise was everywhere and the air's scent seemed to have changed abrubtly. What happened?

_Could I have possibly stumbled upon the world of the Four?_

* * *

Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy wandered out of the dark cinema into the groggy air of London. They were all lost in thought, but were likely thinking of the same thing – Narnia. The land they had left behind (quite by accident) less than two months ago. Of course they'd all knocked the back of the old wardrobe at least three times each for the remainder of their stay at the Professor's house, but to no avail. As the walked through the streets together, they started chatting lightly about the movie they'd just seen, which happened to be an old one in which another person had stumbled across another world.

"Oh, Peter, I can't stand this," Lucy said. "Do you think we'll ever go back?" she asked a little wistfully.

"I do hope so, Lu," Peter answered. "I wonder – I wonder how they're getting along without us?"

The question was left unanswered, because truly none of them knew. The walked along in silence until Lucy exclaimed, "Oh, I say – is that a dog over there?" She skipped over to the dog, waving and smiling.

"Lucy!" Susan scolded. "Don't go running after strays. They mayn't be friendly."

"I think this one looks all right," Edmund said.

"Hello there, what's your name?" Lucy asked, addressing the dog. "Oh…" - here she turned a bit red – "But of course you can't talk."

The dog simply studied them curiously, wagging its tail a bit. It was a dull brown color, tall with floppy ears and short fur.

"You don't think he _can _talk, do you?" Edmund asked after a while, both hopefully and thoughtfully. "I mean, no dog from _our _world would look at something that long."

"Of course he can't. Don't be silly, Ed," came Susan's practical reply.

The dog barked happily at Edmund and Susan. It trotted away a few feet and looked back at them.

"Let's follow it," Peter put in. And so they did. It led them, eventually, to a small empty shop on a street with very few people. Then it stopped, licked Lucy's hand, and sat down to stare at the four.

It was quite a while before Lucy finally said, "Maybe you were right, Su," she looked crestfallen. "Maybe he can't talk after all."

"Oh, but I can!" the dog suddenly said.

Susan's eyes rapidly grew to an enormous size. Lucy nearly jumped out of her socks, and Peter jerked backwards into Edmund, who had just begun to open his mouth but instead yelled "Ow! Watch it!"

"My dear Kings and Queens," the dog whispered, for he could tell that these children were indeed the missing royals of Narnia. They nodded.

Excitedly, he told them his name was Toby. He chattered at a rapid pace, telling them how he had been part of one of the search parties that were sent to find the Kings and Queens, and how he had suddenly found himself not in the Western Wood but on a crowded, busy street simply filled with Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve.

Here he grew extremely excited, and talked even faster (if that was possible) about how he heard the Queen Lucy ask if they'd ever go back and listened to what must be but didn't sound quite like the High King's voice answer her. Next, as Toby related, he had spotted King Edmund (there was no mistaking his black hair and knowing eyes, however much younger he was) followed by Queen Lucy and King Peter, and finally Queen Susan.

"Why, dear Toby, we would love to return," Susan said, a bit sadly, "But… we don't know how we could. We've already tried going back through the Wardrobe in the Spare Room."

"Spare Oom, your majesty?" Toby questioned, and started talking rather quickly again. "Might you take me to see this legendary land? Tumnus has shared the story of this place with me – I'd love to see it – if it's not any trouble, of course, and if it's not far – what's it like? What sort of creatures live there? Is it-"

"Toby, please do slow down! Of course we'd take you, but it's not that grand," Peter said. "Why, it's not even a land at all. It's a small room, in a house."

"We could take him to meet the Professor, Peter, couldn't we?" asked Lucy. "He'd be delighted to meet a Narnian again."

"We could - possibly. If we can convince our parents to let us visit the Professor, I'm sure they wouldn't mind - after all it is summer and we've nothing to do."

"Certainly, Pete, but what can we do about Toby?" asked Edmund. "They'll certainly ask questions, and mum might have a heart attack if she finds he can talk. Not to mention he wouldn't be allowed on the train."

"Oh - now that does put a stopper to it," Peter said.

"We should go," Susan interrupted. "People outside are starting to stare."

So the siblings left the dusty shop and started home again. Toby agreed that he would make a temporary house of the closed shop until they had finalized their plans to visit the Professor, and to come find them at their home (they gave directions, saying he would understand them once he started to follow them) if they weren't back in three days. Toby watched until they were out of sight, and finally settled down onto a few dirty cloth sacks reflecting his day in their world.

After a few silent minutes, Toby's ears perked up. He heard something - soft footsteps. A human's breath. Some rustling. He looked up cautiously from his concealed bed, and saw a dark figure - probably the shop's owner, he thought. Toby realized he needed to get out of the place, now. What had some of the Narnians said about the four young monarch's world?  
_"They would do terrible things to you there. Show you at fairs and circuses, feed you small dry scraps, and keep you in a rusty, crude cage for life..."_

He sniffed around, looking for an escape and careful not to make any noise. Likely as not the man had heard five voices and seen four leave. Toby examined his position. He was surrounded on two sides by boxes, on one side by a few piles of cloth and on the last side by the wall.  
It to a few crashes before the brown dog realized that the crates were being thrown aside. Rather desperate now, he clawed the wall and quietly whimpered. At last he spotted his chance - his _only_ chance - and climbed into the dark opening of one wooden crate.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, this is my first real story on here and I hope you like it. No, I won't leave poor Toby in the dusty old wooden box and will be adding another chapter later (Not sure when exactly)! So, all feedback and ideas are welcome and I don't mind constructive critisism if it needs it. Oh, and feel free to point out any typos or mistakes. Thank you!


	2. Wonder and Worry

_**A/N: **This is up quicker than I expected it to be. Oh, well, here it is and I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

_From the last chapter…_

He sniffed around, looking for an escape and careful not to make any noise. Likely as not the man had heard five voices and seen four leave. Toby examined his position. He was surrounded on two sides by boxes, on one side by a few piles of cloth and on the last side by the wall.  
It took a few small crashes before the brown dog realized that the crates were being thrown aside. Rather desperate now, he clawed the wall and quietly whimpered. At last he spotted his chance - his _only_ chance - and climbed into the dark opening of one wooden crate.

* * *

Toby winced as the crate he was hiding in was lifted off the ground. The nails were cutting into his skin and he was almost sure plenty of splinters covered him by now. He made no noise, though, as to give the violent human no clue that he was in the crate being lifted.

The man was none the wiser, for though he knew there was an animal of some sort in the room he had been almost certain that an animal wouldn't be smart or brave enough to climb into the crate as an escape.

No, he thought, the weight meant nothing. Plenty of these dusty things were filled with what used to be the shop's wares. There was no reason they shouldn't be heavy. The man paused for a second, though. No one was around – not even on the street outside, for it was dark and had begun to rain – he could easily take some of this and sell it without getting caught.

But then he rejected the idea, thinking it useless and of the animal that he knew was somewhere in the old building. The children that had left just minutes ago were obviously concealing something about it. As they were leaving they had said some suspicious things – "_Do you think he'll be all right?" _and _"No one should find him there – the place looks like it hasn't been used for years."_

With a grunt, he lifted the box he was holding and heaved it towards the wall next to the door with all his might.

* * *

In absolute terror, Toby listened to the man's breathing as he considered stealing the crates (but Toby didn't know this, and was quite convinced that the lid would be opened in moments).

Finally, when Toby was just about to howl with the tension, the crate was lifted to the maximum height the human could elevate it and thrown with intense fervor towards the painfully solid wall.

As the wood of the crate smashed into the wall, Toby felt intense pain and yelped loudly. The dark figure turned suddenly when he heard the noise and gaped at the dog.

Toby weakly came to his legs and, despite all the pain it caused, ran. He streaked through the door, ran right through the rain and onto another pathway, quickly losing consciousness as he went.

Finally, lost, injured and soaking wet but at least far from the aggressive man, he lay down on the cold, hard stones of a dreary looking street as a crack of thunder sounded and the world went black.

* * *

Far away in her bed, Lucy jumped up. "Oh, Aslan," she said, "I can't possibly go to sleep."

"Lu," came a soft voice from the doorway of her room. "You can't sleep either?" It was Susan.

"Peter," another voiced moaned. "Where are you?"

"What is it, Ed?" Peter answered. He moved towards Edmund's room, but spotted Susan in the doorway of Lucy's. "By the Lion," he said. "What in Narnia are you two doing awake as well?"

Edmund marched out of his room and soon all four Pevensies were sitting on Lucy's bed. There was a long silence.

Finally, Peter spoke up. "You know, I think we should go visit Toby – even if we still haven't figured out a way to get him to the Professor."

"But we can't right _now_," Susan said. "It's _one o' clock _in the morning. The dear thing is probably sleeping, and we wouldn't want to go stomping in and waking him. And what would mum say? She'd never let us keep him, talking or no."

"What if someone _finds_ him?" Lucy asked. "I think… I think we should go as soon as we can. Just in case," Lucy whispered.

"But what about our _parents?_" Susan moaned. "They'll be worried, and they probably already are by the way we've been talking like adults and having so many whispered conversations about Narnia."

"We'll go in the morning," Peter decided.

"It _is _the morning," Edmund countered. "And if you meant when people usually wake up, it's not like we'll all be able to get up early, even if my some miraculous blessing we're able to get sleep tonight."

"It's settled then," Peter said. He stood up, and Lucy followed suit. "Let's go."

They all tiptoed out of the house, with some quiet grumbling from Susan. She stopped, though, when Peter told her "Do act more like a Queen, Susan. You would never do this in front of our subjects at Cair Paravel." Before they closed the door, Peter picked up the spare key and then locked it gently behind them.

Storm clouds laid low in the sky, and they all shuddered as they heard the first clap of thunder.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Peter murmured.

They walked on anyway, ignoring the odd person or two bustling home through the cold rain. They were all pretty well soaked by the time they reached the empty street where Toby was supposed to be.

Lucy clung tightly to Peter as they walked along. Even Edmund, who usually wouldn't stand for such things, seemed to be drawing closer to Susan and his older brother.

"There…" Lucy whispered. "What is that?" She pointed to a slender form that walked out of a low-roofed building near the shop Toby was supposedly in. The four watched warily. They kept walking towards Toby's shelter, and finally reached it without being spotted by the stranger.

After the figure had disappeared from the street, Susan looked around.

"I can't see at all in here… oof!" she had stumbled over a board on the damp floor.

"Toby! Toby?" Lucy called. When there was no answer, she turned towards the others, who were helping Susan up. "Do you think this is the wrong building?" She asked.

Peter took out a scented candle from his bag. "It was a birthday present for mum," he explained.

"Some birthday present we've left her," Edmund said. "We really ought to get back, before she wakes."

The candle was lit, and revealed a good bit of their surroundings.

"Oh!" Susan gasped.

The place was in utter wreckage, with ripped and torn cloth scattered about and splintered wood covering the floor.

Lucy cried out and threw herself in the arms of her closest sibling. It happened to be Edmund, but he didn't push her away or even look embarrassed. He simply stared ahead at the wreckage in front of him, his face and Peter's both very white.

* * *

**A/N:** And there's the second chapter. Please reveiw, and feel free to point out any errors. Thanks to captive1princess for the reveiw on the last chapter!  
As I said, this one was up quicker than I expected, but that's probably because it's the weekend and I don't have to spend the day doing school & homework.

**A little note:** The man, who has no name as of yet (don't worry, I'll give him one... any suggestions?) is not gone from the story and has no relation to the 'slender figure' the Pevensies saw on the otherwise empty street (that person will play a bigger part, too, if I don't change my mind about them).

Thanks for reading! I'll get the third chapter up soon, hopefully.

* * *


	3. Perspectives

_**A/N & Disclaimer: **Again, all I own is Toby and Mister Man who still needs a name.  
Reveiws are great, I love them, hope you enjoy, the normal heading I put up here.  
Thank yah!_

* * *

Previously…

Lucy threw herself in the arms of her closest sibling. It happened to be Edmund, but he didn't push her away or even look embarrassed. He simply stared ahead at the wreckage in front of him, his face and Peter's both very white.

* * *

The rain had long ago ceased and Toby was just beginning to wake up. As one usually does when recovering from such a situation as he went through last night, he thought it all was just a dream and believed he was still lying in his den with his brothers and sisters. The sharp pain that shot through his legs as he tried to stand on them proved otherwise.

He wouldn't be able to walk for at least half an hour, he realized, and decided to roll over and let the cool morning air wash over him. In a way, it was refreshing, but as he breathed slowly in and out he couldn't help but long for the clear, fresh air of Narnia.

Dimly he wondered if there were any other Narnians trapped in this world, but dismissed the idea for later contemplation.

To any passers-by, he looked simply of a dirty stray dozing in the sun, so he was ignored by the general traffic of the street he had ended up on.

He watched lazily at the humans walking by, eyes narrowing at every animal he saw. They plainly weren't capable of speech, but he was interested anyway. The dogs, which he saw most frequently, were attached to long strips of leather held securely by humans, and Toby found he took pity on them.

He wondered what they would do in Narnia. Would they be granted the gift to talk? Would they stay as dumb beasts, and even then, would they realize what a blessing the Narnians had, the blessing to be free?

To wander wherever they pleased, in the presence of whomever they wished – not led along for man's pleasure on a tight rope. To run and romp and scrabble with others of their kind, and regard humans as friends instead of masters?

And how they would love – Toby was sure any sensible dog would – to race through the fields, splash in the rivers, or scamper through flowerbeds without a voice to scold them in anger!

Lost in thought, Toby closed his eyes.

* * *

A man in a black business suit walked swiftly along rows of shops in London. He had had a horrendous night, searching in vain for the dog he had unintentionally thrown across a room. In the midst of a thunderstorm, to add to the mess – he had been soaking wet when he'd tramped angrily back into his house in the dead of night.

Grumpily, he turned corner after corner in search of the street he had first seen the blasted brown thing on. Why did he _care_? But for some reason he couldn't stop himself.

Smiling at the tourists and shop owners as he went, his smile was quickly wiped from his face every time they left his sight.

Oh, what a _horrible _night last night had been! He couldn't stop thinking to himself. His muscles ached and he had an awful headache, all because of some stupid dog he couldn't get out of his mind. What a shock it was for him indeed when he discovered the heavy crate he had thrown with such force across the room had contained the brave animal he'd been looking for.

With a sigh, he walked on. He had no idea where he was, nor where he might be going, but kept on determinedly. All he knew was where he _wanted_ to be heading. He looked for some kind of landmark, some sort of recognizable sight.

Today, he reflected, was going just as dreadfully. The sun was shining directly into his tired eyes and reflecting off the glass of all the windows in this blasted place. His shoes were making his feet sore, and his hands were badly bandaged – laying them on the rough and splinter-filled crates hadn't been his best idea ever.

Not to mention all the cuts and bruises he had acquired from scrambling around the darned shop.

_About time! _He thought, finally spotting an odd tree that he remembered was two streets away from his brother's old business. He started forward again, faster this time, only to trip over his own feet halfway there. Flustered and tomato-red, he got back up again. Why, oh _why_ did he even bother? What on earth was so important to him about this dog? He couldn't fathom the answer to either of his questions, but he could not stop himself from going, either.

Finally he found himself at the end of the street he was looking for. He stood still for a minute and watched as the last figure left the road, and then continued on. His eyes were puffy and half closed as he reached for the door handle, but the door handle was not there. He blinked, right hand still grasping air.

The door looked normal from a distance, but he discovered it was dislodged – pushed back into the walls, and a bit broken. The windows of the shop were shaded. He jerked, tugged, and pulled on the door and eventually got it open. He stopped dead in his tracks.

What _ever_ had _happened_? It was in the same terrible state the Pevensies had seen it in the early morning (though he, of course, didn't know this). The crates, the crates were destroyed beyond reckoning and he was positive he hadn't had any part in it. The only crate he himself had broken, he remembered, was the one with the dog. What _absolutely _horrific luck he had! He thought, glowering. To demolish one box, only one, to find out there was a brave canine hiding inside that _one_ box – and to come back the next day to find the whole place left in utter chaos.

His words were snatched from him in one breath of wind and he was rendered speechless.

* * *

The Pevensies never did manage to sleep that night. The following day, Helen Pevensie awoke to find all four of her children gloomily eating breakfast, all with dark circles rimming their eyes. They were talking softly, but not much.

They all jumped with a start when they saw her.

"Morning, mum," Peter said.

"What have you all been doing?" Helen started, hands resting on her hips.

"Nothing, mum," Edmund said, thinking quickly. "We were just, ah, talking about the birthday presents we wanted to buy for you." Her birthday was in about a week, and they always held a small celebration for her. "That's why we were so startled when you walked in." Edmund finished.

"Oh," Mrs. Pevensie said. She sighed. The four of them had never been the same after they came back from Professor Kirke's house. Since when had they cared so much about her birthday? What had gotten into them? Perhaps the war was the reason they weren't so child-like anymore? Helen didn't like the explanation, but accepted it. They had told her they missed the old man – perhaps that was it.

She looked up, studying them each carefully.

Peter was still looking at her, eyelids drooping heavily. He obviously hadn't gotten much sleep in the past week. It was strange, but he seemed to have such a strong air of authority about him – perhaps because he was the oldest, she considered. He even looked a bit regal or noble, but Helen dismissed the thought and moved on.

Susan was absently stirring her drink, occasionally taking a sip. She looked so thoughtful and so caring – almost like she had played the part of mother to her siblings while they were at the Professor's. Her hair, Helen noticed, looked like it had been brushed more often and her demeanor was gentle.

Edmund was looking at her also, but his eyelids weren't drooping quite as much as Peter's. She looked into his eyes, and was surprised at what she saw there – intelligence, wisdom, and such depth. She was glad to see one thing familiar, she thought, as she noticed the mischievous twinkle that still lingered.

Lucy was unusually quiet. She was still the bubbly little girl Mrs. Pevensie knew and loved, but she also had more of a depth to here bright eyes, more than any child should. Lucy's eyes also reflected wisdom like her brother's, and she was much more graceful than she had been before the war. Games of hide-and-seek and such had abruptly ended.

Helen didn't know what to think.

"Say – would you four like to visit Professor Kirke with your father in two weeks?" she asked, smiling warmly. She was sure this is what they needed, and would accept the idea without question.

But they didn't.

Peter and Edmund exchanged nervous glances, and Susan looked shocked. Lucy, to Mrs. Pevensie's dismay, looked like she was about to cry.

"Certainly – mum," Peter said after an awkward silence, with a distant smile. Susan to her credit tried to smile also, but the smile looked hopelessly fake, plastered across her face at that moment.

"Alright, then," Mrs. Pevensie said.

She turned from the dining room and discreetly wiped a small tear from her eye. Where had her children gone?

* * *

**A/N: **Alrighty, I hope that chapter was okay! I gave Toby a little break here, he had it hard in the last two chapters. Also, if you were wondering what exactly he looks like, I imagined him to be very similar to one of the dogs illustrated in _The Last Battle_, standing to the right of Tirian. Not sure what page it's on, because everyone has different copies/versions and mine is not with me right now. Anyway, hope you like this story so far! Thanks for reading.


	4. Irony

**_  
A/N:_** _Hmm, I don't have much to say. I hope this chapter isn't too bad. Enjoy!_

Peter and Edmund exchanged nervous glances, and Susan looked shocked. Lucy, to Mrs. Pevensie's dismay, looked like she was about to cry.

"Certainly – mum," Peter said after an awkward silence, with a distant smile. Susan to her credit tried to smile also, but the smile looked hopelessly fake, plastered across her face at that moment.

"Alright, then," Mrs. Pevensie said.

She turned from the dining room and discreetly wiped a small tear from her eye. Where had her children gone?

* * *

As soon as his mother left, Peter turned and buried his hands in his face, frustrated.

"Oh, bother it all!" Susan said. "We don't know how to act like normal children anymore. And mother's noticed."

A few tears slipped from Lucy's eyes, and Edmund looked back down at the breakfast table forlornly.

"That's it. We've got to find Toby. It can't be too hard, can it? He'll be easy to spot," Peter said. He rose from the table, looking every bit the High King again. They all agreed and asked their father if they could go for a walk through London. He said yes, but most of his focus was centered on the radio beside him, so they didn't think he'd really heard them.

They all walked outside. The morning air was fresh, and all four found themselves longing to breathe the Narnian air again. Walking a few steps ahead of the others, Lucy bumped into a very flustered looking man and apologized sincerely, but he didn't seem to notice. He simply picked himself back up; looking even more disconcerted, and moved on. Lucy watched his retreating back with her brow furrowed for a few seconds, then also turned away and kept walking.

They had decided to walk out in the countryside away from London's busy streets, presuming they were as likely to find Toby outside the city as in it.

They had been walking for a long while, and it was about midday.

"Look there, Ed!" Peter said suddenly. "Why, they're having a tournament."

Edmund looked up curiously. "I say, they are," he answered. "What an odd thing to be doing in England. They have food, too – see the spectators eating? Do you suppose they'd let us join?"

The crowd generally consisted of many teenagers, some young boys, and a few adults here and there. The combatants were about Peter's age. They were all tourists, evidently not from England.

Peter grinned. "Why don't we find out?"

"Peter, how could you? Susan scolded. "What about Toby?"

"There's little chance we'll find him today, and anyway, he might be looking for us. If that's the case, it'd be better for us to stay in one place – right? It can't hurt anything, Su," Peter said, a little pleadingly at the end. He was eager to take part in, or at least watch, something they had done in Narnia all too often.

"…you don't have a sword," Susan pointed out.

"Susan, please?" Lucy said. "I'm sure they'll have extra." She too was eager to see something that reminded her of Narnia, even though she knew all too well that she wouldn't be allowed (by the combatants _or _her brothers) to fight.

"I suppose so," Susan said, and to the wonder of all, smiled.

Edmund grinned. "Well, then, let's go!" he said.

* * *

Toby gradually woke up from his slumber. He was greeted by rather sore legs and stiff joints once again, but he didn't mind. His cuts and bruises were getting better, healing efficiently enough. His nap had been one or two hours at the most, and he felt refreshed.

After walking around in one place for a bit, he started to explore along this strange place's streets again. He barked to a few other dogs, and listened the humans in general. He knew he needed to find the Kings and Queens if he ever wanted to get back to Narnia again, so he started off just to do so. He couldn't follow the directions they'd given him, because he no longer had any idea where the old shop was.

It was hard for him not to ask these humans questions, though he knew he mustn't do so. He nearly did, once or twice. Dogs just weren't made to keep quiet, the ones in this world and the talking dogs alike.

He took in each and every one of the sights, smells, and feelings all at once. He caught the sweet scent of sugar wafting from the bakery, felt the cool stone on the pads of his paws, and watched all the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve – he had never seen so many of them! – bustle about. He also caught many little snatches of conversation. And what strange things these people said!

"…What kind of plane was that?"

"I say, look at that poodle –"

"…Where have you been? Really, at that blasted shop _again_?"

"Go turn on the radio please, dear –"

_What's a plane? Did she just call that little white dog a 'poodle'? What does that mean? And what shop had been blasted? He was sure he hadn't heard any sudden loud noises, and his hearing was good - even for a Narnian dog. And didn't the Kings and Queens mention something about a radio back when they were all in Narnia?_

All of these thoughts raced through Toby's head.

Soon, though, he began to get hungry. He realized he hadn't eaten in at least two days, and wondered where dogs in this world got their food. Did they hunt too? He watched the path for any rabbits or small animals, but of course there were none. All this noise and movement would certainly scare them off.

Presently, he came upon a little stall selling meats. A Son of Adam was standing nearby, handing the human behind the food counter a few little silver round pieces. In return, the merchant handed him a few wrapped up packages, thanking the customer for his purchase. Toby surreptitiously sniffed the meat nearest him, trying not to be seen by the stall's owner. He didn't want to _steal _the food, but there seemed no other way to get it.

He started to extend his tongue, but something stopped him.

A glint caught his eye, and he trotted over to find a little round, silver thing, much like what he had seen the customer holding. He clawed at it. He couldn't pick it up like the human had, with his front paws. He didn't want it in his mouth, but he decided there was no other way and picked it up precariously between his teeth, the metal halfway sticking out of his maw.

How silly he must look! Toby thought. He shook the idea out of his head and jogged back towards the stall. He attempted to look purposeful and resolute, but with little hope. His tail was wagging and his ears were down, eyes big. Toby began to believe he was doing a great job looking intelligent and business-like, even more so when he noticed the man smile at him and finger a bit of the food.

The man's next statement chased away that notion quicker than Toby had ever chased is own tail.

"Oh, how cute you are!"

Toby simply stared. He had no idea what to do now. _Cute?_ Cute was _not _what he had intended.

But cute worked.

"I would normally resist stray's begging, but _you_," he said. The man smiled warmly and tossed Toby two fish.

Still shocked but incredibly pleased, Toby dropped the coin upon the man's lap and picked up his meal. If a dog could grin, Toby was doing so now. He scuttled a few feet away to eat his prize, tail wagging rapidly and happily.

The man smiled, watching the stray eat.

He assisted a few more customers before turning back to the dirty brown animal, whom he had decided he might take home and give a bath if the dog would allow him. He lived alone and was often just a little lonesome.

Toby had just finished his two fish, and turned back to the man still sitting at the stall. He bounded up to him, and the man smiled again, wider this time. He had always liked dogs, he reflected, and this one he was beginning to like even more so. The dog's mouth was open, and the man could almost imagine he was _smiling_ at him. What an odd thought.

"Thank you!" the dog told him gratefully.

Only then did Toby realize his mistake.

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_**A/N:** Okay, so I hope the Pevensies-tournament-thingy wasn't too weird. Kind of unexpected (Ha, that was the story's original title - before I posted it), even for me, but I wanted to add another sort of scene in the story at some point that's... but I suppose that should wait until next chapter. Okay. So, just apologizing for the odd, random little 'tournament' in the first part of this chapter and for my ignorance of what London was like in the 1940's. I hope my assumptions aren't too far off the mark.  
Thanks for reading, next chapter coming soon I hope!_

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_In the last chapter…_


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